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Hello BuzzFeeders, publication lovers, and different curious, bookish folks alike! I'm Dannica, and my extremity is to work 82 books successful 2026.
To execute specified a feat, I figured it'd beryllium mode much amusive to not bash it alone. So, each month, I'll beryllium sharing each publication I read, wherefore I loved (or hated) it, and letting you power what ends up connected my TBR list. This way, I'll beryllium capable to clasp myself accountable, perchance (likely) overshare each my thoughts and emotions, and instrumentality connected immoderate of your recommendations.
Here's wherever I'm astatine truthful acold (and if you wanna drawback up, instrumentality a look astatine February's edition):
Here's the vibe check: In short, my March books made maine laugh, cry, scream, and everything successful between. I was reminded of the quality of humanity (not adjacent being dramatic), amazed astatine however IMMERSED I was by a Hermione and Draco Malfoy fanfic (I know, I know), was feeling incredibly bittersweet due to the fact that I'd finished the past publication successful a trilogy, was a spot disappointed by a definite C.S. Lewis book, was connected borderline due to the fact that I was trying to find retired the individuality of a serial killer, and finally, I became emotionally attached to a spider-looking alien named Rocky. Amaze amaze amaze!
That said, alternatively than being polite and making a modular database similar a mean person, I'm going to recap the books I work done thing a small much fun, chaotic, and honest: superlatives. Let's start!
👭 Anxious People by Fredrik Backman:
Ugh, I honestly can't explicate this publication successful a mode that would decently explicit however overmuch I loved it. It was funny, witty, honest, fun, sad, devastating, and everything other that a idiosyncratic could perchance feel. The crippled itself was truthful unique, and it truly felt similar I knew each the characters, which is thing the writer does SO well. I similar however the crippled wasn't linear, and I loved each the interrogation scenes. I similar however immoderate characters are connected to each different successful immoderate way, and I conscionable loved however everything unfolded! I laughed retired large passim the publication and virtually cried during the past 100 pages because, astatine its core, the publication captures how, adjacent though being quality and surviving beingness tin beryllium messy, you don't person to find a mode to cleanable everything up connected your ain (was that corny oregon a bar?).
Overall, I loved this publication SO much, and I decidedly urge speechmaking it if you're looking for immoderate #hopecore successful these trying times.
⛓️💥 Manacled by SenLinYu:
Note: This fanfic is heavy inspired by The Handmaid's Tale. In this AU, Voldemort has created a breeding programme to support the bloodlines of the elite wizarding families. There are explicit scenes of intersexual abuse, intersexual assault, and rape successful the book.
OK, y'all. First, fto maine commencement disconnected by saying that I dislike She Who Must Not Be Named arsenic overmuch arsenic the adjacent person. I've ne'er been a fanfic reader, amended yet a Draco and Hermione shipper, but my large sister practically begged maine to work it, truthful I gave it a go. Second, I don't cognize wherever my large sis got this physical, bound transcript of this story, either. 💀 All I knew going into the communicative was that it was a 1,000-page fanfic wherever Harry was dead, Voldemort was ruling the wizarding world, and Hermione was someway captured. Boy, was determination SO MUCH MORE TO IT.
Let maine commencement disconnected by saying the scenes successful the archetypal 3rd of the publication are incredibly uncomfortable, explicit, and visceral. While Hermione is with Draco, aka the High Reeve astatine Malfoy Manor, Voldemort tasks him with trying to impregnate her — due to the fact that I conjecture the baby's magic would assistance unlock Hermione's representation oregon whatever. Believe me, I was like, WTF is this book?! for a bully magnitude of clip portion reading. But erstwhile Hermione started getting her memories back, and the communicative shifted to what precisely happened during the war, and what happened betwixt Hermione and Draco earlier helium became the High Reeve? Oh, I fearfulness the publication became very, very good. The writer wrote these characters arsenic if they were her ain creation, and the stakes were SO HIGH. The romance betwixt Hermione and Draco that bloomed amid a bloody, devastating warfare was truthful analyzable and messy that it was astir poetic, and Hermione arsenic a quality was incredibly good thought out.
The full publication is genuinely an adventure, and though I was intensely skeptical astatine archetypal if I wanted to continue, I'm gladsome I did. Also, the writer decided to accommodate Manacled into an existent published publication called Alchemised, with a caller world, magic system, and characters, and I decidedly program connected speechmaking it successful the adjacent future!
🛡️ Sparking Fire Out of Fate by Brigid Kemmerer:
Let maine commencement with this: I loved this publication due to the fact that I loved the ones earlier this one. Honestly, a Brigid Kemmerer publication hasn't missed with maine yet, and this 1 is nary exception. HOWEVER, I bash privation the finale of this trilogy held a spot much weight. Though I did deliberation that each of the main characters successful this trilogy completed their arcs graciously and got the ending they deserved, the publication itself wasn't truly giving "final book" vigor to me. I'm honestly unsure if this is the past publication successful this world, period, but by the mode it ended, it felt similar determination was a batch of satellite and crippled near to research — astatine slightest to me.
It felt similar determination were inactive immoderate conflicts that needed solution by the extremity of it all, and the last standoff that occurs successful the publication didn't consciousness ace dynamic, and astir felt anti-climactic. I wasn't the biggest instrumentality of however the antagonists kinda shifted from the archetypal publication successful general, arsenic I was hoping to get a antithetic benignant of Big Bad Villain that was someway introduced, but there's truthful overmuch hostility among each the characters and their relations that I was inactive entertained nary substance what. Don't get maine wrong, I enjoyed the publication due to the fact that I was enthralled by the satellite and characters Brigid created, but I conscionable privation determination was more to the governmental and warfare aspects of the plot. (This is maine hinting that I'd similar different trilogy acceptable successful this world, beauteous please.)
🦡 Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis:
OK, I virtually said this astir the archetypal book, but the movie is conscionable truthful overmuch better, and I'm not acrophobic to accidental it anymore! Listen, I KNOW that these are children's books, but considering however bully the movie was, I was expecting this 1 to be, astatine least, conscionable arsenic entertaining. But alas, I was wrong. The movie conscionable explored truthful overmuch much and added truthful galore much scenes that added tension, accrued the stakes, and made the wide crippled consciousness meatier, which is wherefore I conscionable couldn't bask the publication arsenic much.
Also, the publication didn't hint astatine a Susan and Prince Caspian flirtation astatine all! They hardly interacted, actually. 😭 I'll proceed the series, obviously, but I conscionable can't shingle the tendency to privation Narnia arsenic a due high-fantasy YA. Sorry, C.S. Lewis, I'm a selfish gal for it, I know.
🩸 The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes:
This publication amazed maine successful the champion mode possible! My younger sister recommended this publication to me, and I honestly conscionable thought it was going to beryllium your emblematic YA publication (lovingly), but I ended up truly enjoying this book. One of my favourite shows is Criminal Minds, truthful ideate my excitement erstwhile I realized that this publication is fundamentally Criminal Minds from the POV of a teenager?! Who besides happens to beryllium a prolific profiler?! Yeah, I was sold; I felt similar I was connected the team. When the publication was trying to explicate to maine what an unsub was, I simply smirked a knowing smirk and thought, No request to archer me. I'm nary amateur.
But seriously, this publication had maine guessing each the mode through. It's suspenseful, it's afloat of twists and turns, and each of the Naturals are likable successful their ain way. Some chapters are from the POV of the serial killer, truthful the scholar gets much accusation earlier the main characters, adjacent for conscionable a moment, which I thought was a beauteous chill summation to the book. I besides truly enjoyed Cassie arsenic the narrator, and loved exploring the antithetic dynamics she has with the different radical successful the programme — peculiarly with Dean and Michael (love triangle alert 🚨).
Sometimes YA books tin work a small excessively kiddish oregon immature, but that's not the lawsuit here. The code of this communicative matches the mounting and genre precise well, each portion tackling heavier topics astir the backgrounds of the Naturals members, the quality of the taxable matter, and, astir obviously, the gruesome murders that hap throughout. The publication is sometimes eerie and creepy, but it was 100% a page-turner for me. Highly recommend!
🚀 Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir:
I'm genuinely already tearing up conscionable reasoning astir however to picture however overmuch I loved this publication (and movie). Did I recognize immoderate of the technological connection going connected successful the book? No. Do I person immoderate cognition of heavy space, astrophysics, oregon a beardown knowing of mathematics? Absolutely not. Did I motion on with everything Dr. Ryland Grace and Sir Rocky were saying and person a bully clip anyway? DUH! This publication was everything to me. It was intense, emotional, and existential, but besides funny, moving, and heartwarming. You cognize however I cried portion speechmaking Anxious People due to the fact that of #hopecore? Yeah, it was the aforesaid ordeal with this book.
Grace was specified a likable, awkwardly comic character, and paired with Rocky's quirkiness and wit, the 2 were a imagination duo that pulled astatine the heartstrings and fundamentally saved the beingness with the powerfulness of friendship. Before I commencement going connected a tangent astir Rocky and however overmuch I emotion him, arsenic idiosyncratic who's ne'er truly chosen to work immoderate sci-fi books (other than Red Rising, my beloved), Project Hail Mary made maine privation to delve into the genre more. The crippled was ace interesting. The back-and-forth betwixt contiguous and past arsenic Grace recalls his memories adds truthful overmuch extent and insight, and speechmaking astir however the ngo came unneurotic and each the research, trial, and mistake that went into it, with Stratt and everyone else, was truthful gripping.
All successful all, the publication showcases the utmost worth of science, love, friendship, sacrifice, and empathy, and I judge the communicative and characters volition enactment with maine for a agelong clip (I'm virtually crying arsenic we talk 😭). Also, I deliberation the movie was beauteous and truly did the publication justice! There were immoderate parts that I privation were included, but contempt that, it was incredible, and I watched it twice. I ❤️ Rocky forever.
As for April, I virtually lone work 1 publication due to the fact that sometimes that's conscionable however the cooky crumbles. But, hey, that 1 publication I read? I had a large time.
I truly liked this book! Maybe not much than the archetypal one, but the characters person truly grown connected me, particularly Lia and Sloane. I besides person a brushed spot for Michael for a crushed I can't pinpoint, and I besides truly emotion Agent Briggs and Judd arsenic parental figures. The crippled itself — or, the case, if you volition — was a full batch bigger and much elaborate than what was going connected successful the archetypal publication (which was already wild, BTW), which elevated the stakes adjacent much and created a batch of tension, considering the lawsuit tied backmost to Dean and his father. We get to cognize a full batch much astir Dean and his past, and dive deeper into the relationships among the Naturals earlier Cassie joined the program, which I did like. There were SO MANY twists and turns, and adjacent erstwhile I tried to conjecture what was going to happen, I was wrong. 😅
It's ever amusive pursuing on with the characters, trying to lick a case, and piecing unneurotic clues, but the 1 happening that was conscionable truthful grating to maine passim the publication was the emotion triangle among Cassie, Michael, and Dean. First of all, I already didn't truly similar that Cassie was an entity of affection for some the guys astir the 2nd she stepped ft into the Naturals house, but hey, that's YA for you, truthful whatever. However, however the emotion triangle benignant of progressed oregon unfolded successful this publication seemed truthful retired of place. Cassie would explicate however she felt antithetic things for some guys and couldn't pick, Michael would accidental things on the lines of, 'I cognize I said I'd springiness you abstraction to pick, but it's hard,' and Dean would conscionable look astatine Cassie and fto their profiling transportation bash its thing. Mind you, Cassie has lone been successful the programme for, what, 3 months?!
Maybe it's the yearner successful me, but I privation the emotion triangle — if determination adjacent needed to beryllium 1 — would've stretched retired much passim the remainder of the bid truthful that it felt much earthy (no pun intended). There's 1 peculiar country successful the extremity that had maine questioning wherefore that had to hap successful that moment, but alas, I can't spoil it. Aside from each that, though, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and I can't hold to work the adjacent installment!
Well, we're successful the throes of May already, and I'm honestly inactive successful the midst of speechmaking my archetypal publication of the month, which truthful happens to beryllium a heavy phantasy book. Listen, it's been rather a tumultuous clip for maine recently, truthful I'm hoping that erstwhile I nary longer consciousness similar I ever person to beryllium doing something, I tin yet beryllium back, relax, and read. I haven't forgotten astir the erstwhile recs radical person fixed me, though, truthful hopefully I tin get to those this month!
All that to say, I've officially made this a squad effort and would emotion your input. Comment the emoji that correlates to your ballot beneath for what genre of publication I should see successful my monthly speechmaking slate, and I'll study backmost adjacent month! (Honestly, I'm speechmaking a phantasy publication regardless.) And if you privation to beryllium other involved, see a publication rec from the genre you voted for!
What publication genre should I work successful the remainder of May?
• 👻 Horror
• 💖 Rom-Com
• 🛸 Sci-Fi
• ⚔️ MORE fantasy
• 📚 Historical Fiction
• 🦁 Girl, spell work Prince Caspian
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